This invention relates to computer systems, and in particular to accessing graphic images stored in plural formats.
Personal computers are now commonly used to read, write and process computer files with graphic images. Various application programs, for example, word-processing, spreadsheet, and database programs extensively use graphic images stored in various file formats. Some common file formats used to store graphics images are JPEG, BMP and TIFF. Typically the extension of a computer file denotes the format in which the file is stored, for example, a computer file called xe2x80x9cMyfile.TIFFxe2x80x9d is stored in a TIFF format.
Conventionally, application programs need individual filters corresponding to specific file formats for viewing and processing graphic images. Hence applications can only read specific file formats for which the application has a filter. Furthermore, in some instances application programs are not able to read new file formats because the application programs may only have format specific filters that cannot process new file formats.
Hence, what is needed is a format independent interface that allows an application program to read various file formats, and also update the interface to handle new file formats allowing application programs to process new file formats.
The present invention addresses the foregoing by providing a system and method that allows an application program to read and save graphics image data in a file format without using any format specific filters. A format independent interface (FII) is provided, wherein the FII communicates with an application program and routes image data and application program commands. FII can interface with a plurality of image format handling (IFH) modules, wherein each module can process format specific graphical image data. The application program sends a read request to read a graphics image saved in a specific format to the FII, and the FII routes the request to the IFH module that can open the requested file, and the IFH module converts the file from the specific file format to a device independent bitmap (DIB) data. Thereafter, the IFH module sends the DIB data to FII, and further to a graphical device interface for displaying, or for printing.
In another aspect of the present invention, an application program provides to the FII DIB image data with a command to save the DIB data in a specific file format. Thereafter, the FII sends the DIB image data to an IFH module that can process the specified format. The IFH module converts the DIB image data to the specified format and saves the file in the specified format.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a IFH module for a new format is created and added to a registry that maintains a list of file formats that can be processed by FII.
By virtue of the foregoing aspects of the present invention, an application program does not require any specific file filters. Furthermore, an application program can support new file formats as long as an IFH module embodying the new file format is created and installed.
This brief summary has been provided so that the nature of the invention may be understood quickly. A more complete understanding of the invention can be obtained by reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments thereof in connection with the attached drawings.